Missed a matric exam due to load-shedding or protests? Here’s when you can rewrite this week

The department of basic education has granted permission for pupils to rewrite missed exams due to disruptions.

Several provincial offices requested some pupils be granted permission to rewrite exams due to disruptions such as load-shedding, community protests, pregnancies, flooding and “principals' actions”. 

“Various reasons were provided to substantiate these requests. The department assessed the requests from provincial education departments and in instances where valid reasons were presented, which were not of the pupil's doing, the department and Umalusi granted permission for rewrite opportunities,” it said. 

Rewrites are scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday. 

Which papers will be rewritten?

• mathematics paper 2: Mpumalanga;
• mathematical literacy paper 1: Eastern Cape;
• mathematical literacy paper 2: Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and North West;
• economics paper 1: Gauteng;
• English first additional language paper 1: Limpopo and Western Cape.

What were the reasons for the missed exams?

• pupils who experienced technical glitches during the writing of computer; applications technology paper 1 and information technology paper 1 or who, due to load-shedding, could not complete the exam;
• fifty-three economics paper 1 pupils from Phandimfundo Secondary School in Gauteng missed the exam due to the principal’s actions;
• 1,127 pupils from seven schools in Witbank in Mpumalanga missed exams due to community protest actions;
• two pregnant pupils from the Western Cape and Limpopo were not allowed to write English paper 1;
• three pupils from the North West missed maths literacy paper 2 due to flooding;
• four pupils from the Eastern Cape missed maths literacy paper 1 and paper 2 due to the principal’s actions.

“The matter regarding mathematics paper 2 has been resolved. Question 5.1 (worth seven marks) in the mathematics paper 2 was found to be faulty.

“The question will be excluded from the marking process. The question paper will be marked out of 143 and the mark will be upscaled to 150,” said the department. 

Marking sessions will start on December 10 and end on December 22. 

All provincial departments are on track with their marking preparations.

“Scripts are in storage. Scripts will be moved to marking centres from December 7,” the department said.

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